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The purpose of the editorial board is to oversee the content of books. The editorial board is tasked with:

Identifying "experts" in various fields, to aide in editorial tasks.

Review, edit, and revise notable wikibooks in preparation for eventual publication and distribution.

Provide assistance and guidance to Wikibookians, when properly solicited, on matters of book content.

Provide a centralized point of contact between the wikibooks community, the WMF, and the textbook consumers (teachers, students, libraries, publishers, etc).

Ensure that books, both local and distributed copies, conform to the GFDL.

Book authors may opt to ask the board for assistance in review, editing, publishing, or distributing their books. This is optional, and help from the board is not required to publish or distribute books on Wikibooks. It is hoped, however, that the board will help to facilitate and streamline these processes.

The editorial board will have two distinct components: a standing core group of active Wikibookians, and an ancillary group of temporary members to lend expertise on various subjects. The size of the editorial board, or of it's two component groups will not be static, nor limited in any way.

The standing members of the editorial board will be selected by the community. Members of this board are qualified based on their skill and experience in writing book content, and preparing books for publication. Members must be willing to read and write large amounts of book content, as needed.

There are no specific requirements for membership, but all candidates should be able to bring some benefit to the board. The board requires people who can edit and revise books, typeset and produce PDF versions, and people who can work to distribute books. Members must be trusted and responsible, as many of the duties prescribed to the board could have a profound effect on the Wikibooks project. Above all, members of the board should have a strong desire and drive to help Wikibooks succeed.

Appointed members of the editorial board are selected on a case-by-case basis to supply subject expertise to the board. These members can be selected from those listed at Wikibooks:Volunteer editors, from known authors here on Wikibooks with expertise in a particular subject, or they can be invited from outside the project.

Appointed members are not elected, but are instead invited by standing members of the board for help in particular tasks. Proper judgment should be used in selecting qualified volunteers. Appointees are only considered members of the board so long as they are needed for particular tasks. Appointees may certainly continue editing or authoring books here on Wikibooks after their work with the editorial board has completed.

Wikibookians can be nominated to become standing members of the editorial board at any time. Nominees should be judged based on their contribution history, with special attention paid to content edits. The editorial board requires members who are experienced in editing and authoring book content.

Nominees should receive a number of community votes similar to the number required to elect an admin at that point in time. This metric is approximate, and will certainly change over time. While the number of votes should be consistent with the election of an admin, the standards to which a candidate are judged should be very different. When enough votes have been received, the new member will be confirmed by the board.

Members of the board can similarly be nominated for dismissal from the board at any time. Members of the board are expected to be active on the board, and also be active at Wikibooks in general. Any member can request leave from the board at any time, and all such requests are granted immediately.

Because of the nature of copyright and publishing, it may be necessary for members of the editorial board to supply a certain amount of legal contact information. This information will be collected, updated, and stored at the discretion of the board.

As books are published and distributed, it may also be necessary to collect this kind of information from book contributors, to help enforce copyright. Providing such information is always voluntary, and any information collected will not be posted or misused.

The editorial board is limited in scope and power. It serves only as an aide to book authors for editing, publishing, distributing and promotion. At no time should the editorial board act outside the wishes of the book authors.

The editorial board carries no "weight" with the community, and members of the board are afforded no additional rights, privledges, or status. The editorial board and the individual members should be cautious not to overstep any bounds of authority.

If you are a consumer of textbooks (teacher, student, library, etc) and would like to request that an existing Wikibook be published or distributed, you can list your needs here. Other questions or comments should be directed to the board's talk page.

If there is a dispute concerning book content, the editorial board can help act as a mediator. It is not the primary purpose of the board, and it is left up to the discretion of the board as to whether or not to get involved in disputes of this kind. The editorial board has no authority to impose binding solutions on disputes except in the special case of fixed, published editions or where asked to do so by the Arbitration Committee or where a formal request for binding review has been made with the agreement of all disputants. Wikibookians in disagreement are encouraged to consult the Wikibooks:Dispute resolution, and Wikibooks:Decision making policies, as necessary.